Smithsonian Channel(TM) Honored With Five Parents' Choice Awards for Superlative Family- and Child-Friendly Programming

Smithsonian Channel(TM) Honored With Five Parents' Choice Awards for Superlative Family- and Child-Friendly Programming

NEW YORK, March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Smithsonian Channel(TM) today received five 2008 Parents' Choice Awards for excellence in its family- and child- friendly programming. The annual awards, established in 1978 by the Parents' Choice Foundation -- the nation's oldest nonprofit guide to quality children's media and toys -- are bestowed at different levels. Smithsonian Channel won two Gold Awards, one Silver Honor, one Recommended and one Approved for the following shows.

"As our channel grows in reputation and in numbers of homes, we take heart that our mission to bring the finest high definition programming to the American people is being recognized," said David Royle, Executive Vice President, Programming and Production, for the Channel. "We are truly honored by these commendations."

"The Parents' Choice Awards program received many strong entries this season," wrote Claire S. Green, President of the Parents' Choice Foundation, to Smithsonian Channel. "These shows are among the small percentage selected to receive a Parents' Choice Award."

  Below are those Smithsonian Channel shows acknowledged with an award:    -- Stories from the Vaults (Gold AWARD)  

Host Tom Cavanagh ventures beyond exhibit halls into the back rooms, high-tech vaults and cutting-edge labs of the world's most renowned museum complex to showcase the Smithsonian's rarely-seen treasures and the brilliant, fascinating people working behind-the-scenes who care for them and help unlock their secrets. In so doing, Cavanagh and the curators tell extraordinary stories of American culture and heritage. Some include items donated to the nation -- President Teddy Roosevelt, novelist John Steinbeck, and comedienne Phyllis Diller all donated collections ranging from animal skins to invertebrates to jokes. Cavanagh also looks at Smithsonian superlatives -- "The Most Misunderstood" (the art of taxidermy), "The Best" (a beautifully preserved Stradivarius cello), and "The Tiniest" (1500 pages of the Bible reduced to one image the size of a dime) in the museums of the Smithsonian Institution. Other topics include unique homes, beauty, "firsts," and even life after death.

-- Nature Tech (Gold Award)

Humans have traditionally used technology to solve the problems of life, but this approach has caused problems for the planet. A new field, "bio- memetics," brings technology and nature together, by looking to nature for answers to mysteries it has already solved. Different stories include travels to important university research centers in the U.S. and abroad to see how birds' wings provide sophisticated lessons for airplane manufacturers; how sharks' skin shows an underwater energy efficiency that can be duplicated in swimsuits for the Olympic Games; and how robot technology and even tire manufacturers are learning about leg sensors, climbing vertical surfaces, walking upside down, and extreme energy efficiency from flies, roaches, stick insects, ghost crabs, tree frogs, geckos and caribou.

-- CritterQuest (Silver Honor)

Twenty-two-year-old naturalist Peter Schreimer introduces 5-to-12 year olds to the wonderful, icky world of creepies and crawlies that lurk just beyond the doorstep. This series features projects that children can learn to do, and teaches an appreciation of nature.

-- America's Treasures (Recommended)

This special is inspired by the National Museum of American History's special exhibit of 150 of the most unique objects in the Smithsonian's collection, combining to define the American experience over the past 200 years. Featured are some of the most unique objects in the Smithsonian's collection -- from Kermit the Frog, Jackie Kennedy's inaugural gown, Dorothy's ruby slippers, and a Swanson's TV dinner tray, to Alexander Graham Bell's first telephone and "Star Wars"' R2-D2. The program tells the stories behind the key objects, and describes how they have changed our lives and shaped our culture.

-- Loose at the Zoo Golden Tamarins (Approved)

A family of five monkeys has an usual living arrangement for zoo animals - they're loose. Two parents and three kids have set up home in a tree on the SMITHSONIAN'S National Zoo's grounds in Washington, D.C. with no cages to contain them. The program chronicles their adventures, and tells of the race to save the species.

ABOUT SMITHSONIAN NETWORKS:

Smithsonian Networks (SN) is a joint venture between Showtime Networks Inc. and the Smithsonian Institution. It was formed to create new channels to showcase scientific, cultural and historical programming based largely upon the assets of the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum complex. Smithsonian Channel features original documentaries, short-subject explorations and innovative and groundbreaking programs highlighting America's historical, cultural and scientific heritage. Visit Smithsonian Networks on the internet at www.smithsonianchannel.com

   For information, contact:   Stuart Zakim   212-708-1590   Stuart.Zakim@showtime.net  

Source: Smithsonian Networks

CONTACT: Stuart Zakim for Smithsonian Networks, +1-212-708-1590,
Stuart.Zakim@showtime.net

Web site: http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment